The demand for products of greater variety is increasing with the ever-diversifying preferences of consumers in recent years. There is, particularly in the foods and beverages industry, a strong demand for development of various and diverse foods and beverages that can satisfy consumer preferences. Currently, this demand is not being satisfactorily met with only the aroma compounds proposed and studied in the prior art as flavors and fragrances that are among the starting materials for foods, beverages and cosmetic products.
It has therefore become urgent to provide a variety of aroma substances having unique fragrance and flavor properties that are new to the prior art and can meet the needs of different individual products, and to develop a natural flavor composition that can impart a natural flavor conforming to consumer desires for natural products, as well as foods and beverages containing it. A particular demand exists for aroma compounds with more natural flavors for dairy products such as milk, butter and cheese.
Such flavor is an aromatic flavor that includes a natural feel evocative of fresh milk, a non-degenerated fresh feel similar to sterilized milk, and a warm, milk-rich feeling that approaches that of milk fat or milk itself.
The compound 4-methyl-5-thiazoleethanol (sulfurol) is known in the prior art to impart a natural, milk-rich feeling and flavor characteristic of dairy products (see Non-patent document 1). This compound, however, has not been found in dairy products. Also, since the compound has a threshold of 10,800 ppb (see Non-patent document 2) and is not associated with a strong aroma, it has been necessary to add a substantial amount of the compound to flavor compositions in order to exhibit characteristic odor.
It has been proposed that the thick and voluminous texture characteristic of milk can be imparted to and augmented in dairy products by adding 3-methylnonane-2,4-dione, a compound found in vegetables and teas (see Patent document 1). However, although the compound can impart a thick and voluminous texture to dairy products, its effect of imparting a natural and fresh feel similar to freshly obtained milk has been insufficient.    [Patent document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-52330    [Non-patent document 1] Kouryou, 153, 37-, 1987    [Non-patent document 2] Perfumer & Flavorist, 16, Jan./Feb., 1-19, 1991